Old Friends, New Hope
by RasenShuriken445
Summary: After Naruto meets someone of his own Uzumaki lineage, his life drastically changes, and he's not sure if it's for the better. With an all-new six-man cell, and enemies deadlier than anything he's ever encountered, Naruto must prove himself if he is to ever truly become Hokage.
1. A New Hope

**AUTHOR'S NOTE: Hey, readers! Sorry about re-uploading the story! I only did it because I couldn't seem to upload new chapters; I would be taken directly to an error page every time I tried. Please, forgive me. Also, I'm almost sure none of you know my grandmother (I suppose you would at least know that she had cancer if you previously followed this story.), but I regret to say that she passed away two days ago. I like to think she's in a better place now, but I'm all haywire when it comes to religion, so I don't know what to think. Anyway, please read and review, just so I can get better at writing. Enjoy, and have a great Monday :P**

Looking off into the baby blue sky, Naruto admired the faint scent of cinnamon that wafted through the streets of Konoha on the energetic Saturday morning. Some of Naruto's classmates, such as Sakura and Ino, were eager to train, cramming for the Genin exam that would be occurring at noon the next day (Despite being told by all proctors that they were bound to fail on their first year) Others, such as Kiba, Shikamaru, and Choji, were lying down on a terrace on the Hokage monument overlooking the Leaf Village skyline, lazily tossing potato chips into each other's mouths. Just able to make out the image of Kiba tap-dancing for the rest of the chips, Naruto immediately set course for the other "dead lasts," weaving through the masses of pedestrians with relative ease. Building a small amount of Chakra in his feet, Naruto kicked off his right foot and launched into the air, feeling the harsh wind rip through his hair. The blonde then did the same with his left foot, only to achieve a less than desirable effect. As Naruto jumped at the edge of the Konoha Hospital's roof, expecting to fly through the air and land on a small gift shop some ninety feet away, his feet carried him just off the edge of the building. Naruto screamed like a baby as he fell, watching in fear as the wind burned his eyes and the ground came closer every second.

"_I lived a good life,"_ Naruto thought, closing his eyes as he slammed into the ground.

Was it the ground? Surprisingly able to stand up, Naruto rose to his feet and looked at the exact spot on which he'd landed, expecting a pile of trash or some other conveniently placed object. However, where a pile of trash should have been was a young boy about Naruto's age with blood red hair that covered his eyes and a pale, ghostly white complexion, groaning in pain. Helping him to his feet, Naruto laughed and placed his hands behind his head, letting out,

"Hey! Thanks for being my cushion! Haha!" The red-haired boy's bottom lip trembled as the duo stood in the alley next to the hospital. Come to think of it, Naruto wondered why the boy had been there in the first place. His thoughts rolled out of his mouth as he asked, "Say, what're ya doin' here, anyway?" The boy then collapsed to his knees and grabbed Naruto's jacket, begging at his feet in a raspy, weak voice,

"Could you please spare some food?" Feeling his wallet in his pocket, Naruto guessed that he had just enough ryo for two regular bowls of miso ramen, or one Deluxe Supreme Special (or as Teuchi called it, the Naruto)

Again pulling the boy to his feet and slinging one of his arms over his shoulder, Naruto half-walked, half-dragged him to Ichiraku, which took the duo about an hour, considering the amount of times the boy faceplanted from weakness. At the ramen shop, Naruto ordered the boy one Deluxe Supreme Special and sat him on one of the stools, apologizing for making him wait. When Ayame noticed his bone-skinny and sickly form, she snapped her fingers violently, telling Teuchi to work faster.

"The boy's on the brink of death!" she called out, throwing her order pad at her father as he said he could not cook with any more speed. She leaned over the counter and pushed the boy's bangs aside with her thumb, revealing closed eyes that leaked tears onto his worn brown clothing. Pulling a napkin out from her side of the counter, she wiped his tears away with a smile and whispered, "There, there, it's okay. Nothing to worry about. We've got your food coming right up! Do you have a home to go back to?" When the boy shook his head, Naruto shook his head and sighed. His reaction to the news quickly changed when Ayame glared at him with murderous intent. Careful to not get killed by his favorite ramen hostess, Naruto clapped the redhead on the back and proclaimed,

"That's okay! You can stay with me! Just warning ya, stay away from my ice cream!"

"Okay," he replied, the ends of his thin lips faintly curling upward. Just then, Teuchi slammed a massive bowl of ramen, consisting of two regular bowls' worth of noodles, what looked like sixteen pork slices, and six deviled eggs, directly in front of the boy, whose mouth instantly began to water. Grabbing a pair of chopsticks and tossing them in front of him, Naruto asked,

"Well? Aren't ya gonna eat it?"

"Don't I have to pay for this?"

"Don't you worry, sweety," Ayame suddenly piped up, planting a small kiss on the boy's forehead, "it's on the house." Confused, he responded,

"Isn't it on the counter?" Ruffling his hair and forcing the chopsticks into the red-haired damsel's hand, Naruto whispered,

"That means it's free." With that, and a beaming smile, the boy dug in to the meal, groaning as the delicious, piping-hot broth and soft noodles hit his tastebuds. Meanwhile, Naruto practiced his hand seals, preparing for the upcoming exam. "_Horse, Dog, Ram, Serpent, Dragon, Ox, Rabbit, Monkey,"_ he thought to himself, not wanting to disturb the other people. Besides, he didn't want to accidentally shout the name of a technique and scare someone half to death.

Once the boy was finished with his food, Naruto waved goodbye to Teuchi and Ayame, thanking them for their hospitality, and led the redhead to his apartment, where Naruto jumped onto the couch and asked the boy his name.

"N...Nagato."

"Ah, that sounds really close to my name! Mine's Naruto Uzumaki! Future Hokage!" Nagato grew wide-eyed as Naruto announced his name.

"D-Did you say Uzumaki?" Naruto responded in a confused tone,

"Did I stutter? Of course I said Uzumaki!" At the statement, Nagato jumped up and down and then onto the couch, embracing Naruto tightly. "Woah, what's up?"

"I am an Uzumaki, also!" Hesitantly returning the hug, Naruto nervously chuckled as he politely agreed, though he didn't know how the boy was of his family. He didn't even have blonde hair! Then again, maybe he himself was the only one with blonde hair in the Uzumaki lineage. If he'd had parents, the whole situation would've been much easier. "It's been so long since I've seen the face of family!" Of course, Naruto didn't want to dash Nagato's hopes, so he simply went along with the charade, patting Nagato on the back and throwing on a beaming smile.

"Alright, bro, well, I've gotta go train for the Genin exam tomorrow. I'll see ya later!" he suddenly added, prying Nagato's death-gripped fingers from his shoulder blades and taking his leave, leaping out of the open window.

Naruto sighed heavily with a small frown as he walked around Konoha, unsure of what he was going to practice.

"_Ninjutsu? Nah. My Taijutsu's pretty good. I don't know any genjutsu. Chakra training it is,"_ Naruto thought silently, his mouth hanging slightly open as he strolled on over to the training space behind the Academy building, which was thoroughly occupied by students hopeful to pass the exam on their first year. From what Naruto had heard, the last person to graduate in one year was some boy named Minato, according to Iruka. The blonde was just about to practice molding Chakra in his palms when a high-pitched whine met his ears, like someone was crying. Looking all around the congested courtyard, Naruto appeared to be the only person who was able to hear the distressing noise above the uproar of shouting, metals clashing, and grunts of pain. Despite having no idea where the sound's source was located, Naruto's feet seemed to carry him past a few groups of students who scolded his presence and into a small, cut-off section of forest, thick with shrubbery and whaling. "_What the hell is that?"_ he screamed in his head as he followed the sound until he stood fifteen feet away from a group of young boys, cloaked by darkness, a bit older-looking than Naruto huddled around a small girl with navy-blue, shoulder-length hair and light lavender eyes devoid of pupils, which were flooding with tears as one of the three held a kunai against her throat, telling her to apologize for something.

"I'm...sorry!" the girl choked in a weak voice, struggling for her life as she looked fleetingly at Naruto, who came back to his senses as he picked up a particularly large rock from a small pile at his feet and threw it at the boy with the kunai. Naruto laughed as he scored a direct bullseye, hitting the boy with the fist-sized rock square on his cranium. The young bully collapsed and continuously grunted in pain, his eyes watering as the other two turned and found Naruto, instantly rushing to tackle him. Unfortunately, Naruto couldn't run in time and was captured by the duo, who trapped his arms under their knees and continuously struck him in the face, sending shockwaves of incredible pain rippling throughout his body. A minute or two later, when they'd surely broken his cheekbones, the boy Naruto had hit with the rock came running to Naruto's beaten form, pushed the other two off of him, and began to kick him in the torso, cracking a rib or two almost instantaneously. The intense pain made Naruto shout and scream, though he doubted anyone could hear him. Anger brewed inside him like a hurricane on the ocean as the boys mercilessly beat him, all for trying to make them back off.

Just when all seemed lost, and Naruto felt like he was about to go Super Saiyan (Dragon Ball Z was his favorite show) he gathered every ounce of strength he had left in his arms and lurched forward, grabbing the first boy's right leg and sinking his teeth into his thin calf, instantly drawing blood and a high-pitched scream from his target. Kicking him off, the boy then sprinted away from the gruesome scene, clutching his leg and yelling for the other two to follow him.

Meanwhile, Naruto wiped away the blood on his chin and stood up hesitantly, walking over to the young girl (who now appeared to be about his age) with a large smile and helping her to her feet, saying,

"So, you okay?" However, his question fell on deaf ears as the girl stared in shock at Naruto's hand, which gently clasped her own. Her face grew as red as a cherry as she yanked her hand back and began to touch the tips of her index fingers together, gulping before replying,  
"Etto...yes. Thank you...Naruto-kun." Somewhat creeped out, Naruto asked,

"Hey, how d'ya know my name?" The girl squealed in fright before fainting right then and there, collapsing against a thick tree and letting her eyes close.

"_Alrighty then,_" Naruto thought with a laugh, leaving the girl's unconscious form lying against the tough hickory bark, returning to the training area only to find it deserted. "Damn it!" he exclaimed as he threw a forgotten kunai into a bush and stalked away quietly, scoffing in disdain to his absent classmates. Looking off into the distance, Naruto wondered how time had passed so quickly as the sun set ever so slowly in the West, painting a rose red mural on Konoha whilst merchants rang for last call. The blonde set course for his apartment and sighed disappointedly, closing his eyes and daydreaming about his Sexy no Jutsu.

"Nagato-kun, I've been gone ninety minutes. Is this all you've done in that time?" Naruto asked with a bewildered countenance, gazing at the heap of books on his dinner table. Manga, Academy textbooks, _newspapers_. Nagato had pretty much read his entire library in an hour and a half. Nagato scratched his head confusedly as he responded,

"My kaa-san always told me to read. Oh, and I have a question about this Yamcha character in-"

"Can it wait? I'm famished!" The young Uzumaki proceeded to open his refrigerator and laugh at its contents: ramen, ramen, ramen, a bit of ramen, ramen, ramen, and a half gallon of cookie dough ice cream. Grabbing two clean spoons from his kitchen sink, Naruto grabbed the sweet dairy goodness and tossed it on the table, startling the redhead. He quickly took a seat and dug in, taking what looked like the entire thing (at least to Nagato) and shoving it into his mouth, savoring the sweet, chocolatey dough. However, Nagato hesitantly, almost fearfully, placed his spoon into the tub and slipped a shaving of the contents onto it. He then violently jerked his hand backward, spearing his spoon into his mouth before running to the kitchen sink and voiding his stomach. Rushing over to him, Naruto put a hand around his shoulder before noting,

"Ah. You must be lactose and tolerant." Nagato responded with a weak voice,

"Don't you mean lactose _intolerant?_" Not wanting to stand corrected, Naruto forced the other young Uzumaki into his room and bed, tossing the covers over him before walking away. Unfortunately, his walk was interrupted when Nagato asked,

"Did you just tuck me into bed? At _six o'clock_?" Despite the resistance, by the time Naruto had turned around Nagato was already fast asleep, snoring quietly.

To round out the day, Naruto snatched a few of the Academy textbooks from the kitchen table and stood in the exact middle of the apartment, studying all areas of ninja expertise. At around midnight, Naruto sighed heavily as he again attempted to perform a rear-naked choke on his couch pillow, tired beyond belief. Tossing his pillow back in its spot and jumping on himself, Naruto passed out right then and there, content with his effort in training.


	2. The Genin of Konoha

Naruto gripped two locks of his hair tightly, staring worriedly at the test that lay directly in front of him. Equations, strategies, history; what the hell had happened to sparring?

"Five minutes left," the proctor for the exam, Iruka Umino, announced with a smile, distractingly rolling a kunai between his fingertips. Naruto violently shook his head, exhaling loudly and sniffling. Suddenly, he felt a sharp pain in his chest as his classmate elbowed him in the rib cage. Despite Naruto assuming they'd been broken the day before, he noticed that the pain was, at most, bearable.

"Stop moving so much!" Sakura snapped at whisper, rolling her emerald eyes and returning her gaze to her own mistake-riddled paper, a large bead of sweat forming on her hot pink eyebrows. Although he would normally lose his temper and hit anybody with the balls to say something of that nature to him, it was somehow..._different _with Sakura. Despite the malice behind her words, they gave him a sort of morale boost. Naruto exhaled deeply, held his pencil, and took another quick glance at the first question on the test.

_"Who were the four honored Knights of the Sage?"_

Almost instantaneously, Naruto's burst of courage wound down, leaving him in the depths of despair yet again.

"_Ugh. We never went over this in class!"_ Naruto screamed in his head. He was completely out of options.

He had to cheat.

The young blonde carefully rested his chin on his hand and took a brief gander to his left, where Sakura's pencil appeared to be locked in perpetual motion. Naruto prayed to the five kage as he steeled his gaze on the test's first question, waiting for her to stop moving. Of course, being the borderline genius of the Academy, she didn't do that for what felt like hours. Thankfully, as she attempted to tackle the last question, an essay, Naruto was finally able to catch a _long_ glimpse at her answer.

"_The Honored Four are mentioned throughout history as Hawkeye Kalos, captain of the guard, Kirin, whose voice could do unspeakable things, Raiton, wielder of the lightning bolt, and Kassymir the Planeswalker, who notably disappeared without a trace."_

"Wow, that's pretty dark stuff," Naruto accidentally said aloud, not surprisingly earning him a particularly bone-crushing elbow from the pink-haired beauty at his left.

Suddenly, before he even had a chance to write one word of his answer, the tests in front of the students disappeared in a puff of smoke, much to the their dismay.

"Just give it a second," Iruka once again called out, licking his finger in order to turn the page of an erotic-looking novel with a strong blush in his deep tan complexion. Reluctantly obeying his sensei's orders, Naruto dug his fingernails into the desk, drawing small shavings of wood. The silence in the room only built upon Naruto's ever-growing worry. He could almost hear the beating of their hearts. One massive, uniform drum.

After a few long-drawn, suspenseful minutes, there was a small wisp of smoke as the tests of everyone in the room reappeared before them, large numbered grades scrawled across their tops in bold, crimson ink.

"Yes! Yes! Shannaro!" Sakura screamed, planting a fat, lipstick-ridden kiss on her paper's grade. Naruto, however, didn't even care to look at his paper. Even someone without an iota of logic could deduce that he'd failed. Crumpling his test in his fist with what little strength he possessed in his trembling body, Naruto held his breath as he forcefully shoved the wad of questions into his jacket pocket, expecting to burn it when he got home. Of course, some people were a bit luckier than he was.

"Ha, Ino pig, one hundred!" Sakura shouted to the air, lifting her paper to the row behind her.

"Whatever, you flat-chested bitch!" Ino yelped as she threw her fist against Sakura's test, crudely splitting the paper in half.

Naruto quickly excused himself as Sakura lunged at her rival, quietly walking up the steps and setting course for the door to the classroom, wishing more than ever he could become invisible.

"Quiet down, class!" Iruka interjected loudly, thrusting his palm outward. Surprised, the class followed his instructions. "Naruto-kun!" he continued, "why are you leaving? We have info about the graduation ceremony!" Iruka's words, despite their comforting tone, only kicked Naruto while he was down. His sensei was so sure he'd passed the test, and he'd failed him. Again.

"Uh...I don't think I did that good, Iruka-sensei," Naruto calmly replied, feeling the embarrassing gazes of every other student.

"Impossible! You only needed a sixty to pass, and this test was word-for-word from the study guide!" Naruto didn't need to look to know he didn't get a sixty.

"What an idiot! If he can't pass this test, he'll stay in the Academy till he's got a long white beard!" a boy in the front row of students called out, making the entire class let out a little giggle. Turning to meet his insulter's stare, Naruto was more creeped out than offended. The boy had a short, thin form, a rat's nest of chocolate hair, and wore a simple black t-shirt with matching track pants and deep blue sandals. With that, one would assume him to be a regular person, easily forgotten among the many faces one sees in a day. But his eyes were something Naruto would never forget.

The boy's orbits contained only a solid white sphere, devoid of all color.

Trapped in the other student's petrifying gaze, Naruto felt a knot grow in his throat as he attempted to hurl a crude comeback, only for his words to die on his tongue. "What," the boy continued with a devilish grin, "cat got your tongue?"

"Obviously. I wish it'd get yours too, you loud-mouthed _teme_," Naruto's best friend, Shikamaru, dully chimed from the back row. "What an annoying douche," he continued, though at a hushed level.

"Excuse me! That's enough! Teams will be assigned tomorrow at noon! You're dismissed!" Iruka shouted, slamming his calloused palms onto his desk and knocking its contents onto the floor.

"How is it that you didn't know a single answer?" Nagato asked in his quiet, polite tone. When Naruto had come back to his apartment, Nagato had been reading one of his textbooks, specifically an article regarding the Yondaime Hokage. He had been able to logically deduce that Naruto had not passed the exam when he'd trudged over to him, stolen the book from his hands, and hurled it violently across the room.

"I was studying for Ninjutsu and stuff, not random knowledge! How will knowing the Honored Four save me from getting stabbed in the face?!" Naruto retorted at a considerably higher volume, feeling his throat swell as he fought back tears of frustration. He wanted to be the greatest ninja in recorded history. How was he going to do that with a few fun facts?

"Please, Naruto-kun, there is no reason to yell."

"Yeah, whatever, I'm going for a walk. You comin'?" Naruto snapped, latching his Nintools packet to his track pants. You know, just in case. Although Nagato accepted jauntily, Naruto doubted that he would be able to maintain his mien for an extended period of time.

As the duo casually strolled along the winding, maze-like streets of Konoha, Nagato continually asked about different people and things, from restaurants to a black-haired woman holding a teacup pig.

"I actually can't answer that one."

"That is understandable. I can only assume that people carrying pigs is an odd occurrence."

"You're damn right," Naruto replied, sighing as the view of his friends, the other "dead lasts," wearing their honorary Konoha headbands with pride, came into sight. He could feel himself baring his teeth, his anger like a hurricane growing on the ocean.

Semi-thankfully, Naruto was forced to divert his attention when an all too familiar voice forced him to return to reality.

"That's the kid from yesterday! Get him!" Naruto's bully ordered, his cronies mindlessly following in his footsteps as he took up a sprint, weaving through a crowd of innocent shoppers crudely. Naruto, despite his normal cocky, come-at-me attitude, knew that fighting would only mean less training, and he, above all, knew that he couldn't afford that. Slapping Nagato on the shoulder and commanding him to follow, Naruto turned tail and ran, hoping to lose his pursuers amidst the many dark, dank alleyways that plagued the Leaf. Unfortunately, Nagato had other plans.

"Are those children chasing somebody?" he calmly asked, soaking in the environment like a sieve, occasionally acknowledging the many bright, neon lights of nighttime Konoha.

"RUN!" Naruto shouted into his ear, yet again turning and trying to run. Trying.

"I'm not entirely sure I'm comfortable with this."

"Fine. Go ahead and get the shit beat out of you," Naruto growled, finally taking off. He first disappeared behind a bridal dress store, followed by scurrying up and over a small marble wall, and crossing a cobblestone bridge that hovered over a calm, serene river that actually caught his attention. Although the moon normally only faintly lit the ground and lightly reflected small puddles, the surface of the river below him was a brilliant ray of light, illuminating everything around it. Squinting his eyes, Naruto could have sworn he'd seen something gleaming on the bottom of the river.

The blonde was called back into the world of the living when his assailants finally caught up with him, their faces masked by the darkness. Dropping into a readied stance and leaning his weight onto his left foot, Naruto prepared for a vicious encounter, one that he would most likely come out of beaten and bruised. Surprisingly, the boys, even the chubby one with jet black hair, whizzed past him at Mach Two, screaming for their mothers.

"Huh?" Naruto grunted, returning to his normal posture. His perplexity mounted when Nagato calmly strolled onto the bridge, a small cut oozing warm blood on his cheek.

"Naruto-kun, I think I frightened some people," he just about whispered, tears falling from underneath his crimson hair. Shaking his head in order to break his static trance, Naruto ran forward and couldn't stop himself from asking,

"What the hell happened back there?"

"Well, I saw they were angrily chasing after you, so I asked them to stop. People looked at me like I was insane. The other boys tried to push and shove me away, but I held firm." Nagato's voice cracked as he continued, as if he had done something horribly wrong. "Then, the heavy-set boy removed a kunai from his Ninja Tools packet and slashed me across my cheek."

Naruto could feel another storm of fury brewing in his chest, enraged that someone had hurt his only real family. Still, curiosity made him set aside the anger.

"So what did you do?" In response to his question, Nagato opened his mouth to speak, but closed it just as fast, wiping his eyes with the sleeve of his plain white t-shirt.

Before he could answer, there was a puff of smoke directly behind Nagato, revealing a man of about twenty-five brandishing a lengthy, black carbon steel blade with a metal rectangular hand guard, trapping him effortlessly in a half-nelson.

"Child," the man began in a subtle, deep tone, stopping only to lightly cough, "you have ten seconds to explain what you did back there and how you did it. Your time starts now," he continued. Naruto wasn't normally frightened by anything, even Sakura's rage, but this man emitted an aura of dire seriousness, as if light and happiness were fatal allergies to him. Although he was only standing about ten feet away from him, Naruto could just barely make out his features. The man had cold, steel gray eyes and short, sandy brown hair. He wore a complete Konoha-nin uniform, forehead protector included, as well as a peculiar ring on his left hand, though Naruto couldn't quite make out the intricacies etched into it.

"I was defending myself!" Nagato shouted, squirming in pain. Unsatisfied, the ninja forced his downward more downward, coughing,

"Nine."

"Hey, leave him al-"

"Eight."

"Let me talk, you cu-"

"Seven." Naruto lunged at the ninja, only to crash face-first into the cobblestone ground, feeling someone's foot press his face into the gravel. Unable to fight back, Naruto fruitlessly tried to stand up, only for what he assumed to be the man's foot bearing down on him like a massive boulder.

"I used my eyes!" Nagato screamed, capitulating to the pain. With that, the man removed his foot from Naruto's head and allowed him to stand up. He could feel his face bleeding as he rose to his feet, feeling light-headed and lost.

"Explain," the duo's assailant commanded, holding his blade about six inches away from Naruto's face.

"The one boy hurt me, and my eyes tingled, then...they just flew backward! I swear!" the young redhead wailed, falling to his knees. The man stood in contemplation, seemingly deciding whether or not Nagato was telling the truth.

"Does it...really look...like he's lying?" Naruto groaned, rubbing his forehead and smearing a small amount of blood. Thankfully, the man did not kill or maim either of them, although he did firmly grasp each of their shoulders. All that was able to escape from Naruto's mouth before they disappeared into the thin air was, "Hey! What the-"

Naruto and Nagato suddenly found themselves tumbling through the Hokage's simple office, hitting their heads on the legs of the Third's leather love seats.

"You know, you really ought to just walk, Hayate-san," the Third's mellow tone groaned, as if he were more disappointed by the fact that his chairs had been nicked rather than the two boys writhing in pain on the floor, their eyes watering.

"My apologies, Hokage-sama, but this is urgent."

"What could possibly be so urgent that you had to bust into my office, especially on my break?" The Hokage seemed more amused than perplexed.

"Hokage-sama, this child," the man named Hayate gripped Nagato's collar and yanked him to his feet, using his other hand to push his scarlet bangs out of his face, "possesses the Rinnegan."

Nearly instantly, the Third Hokage's expression went from playful to gravely serious. Rocketing out of his seat, the Hokage stalked over to Nagato and began to investigate his eyes, apparently searching for something. Rising to his feet with tears of pain rolling down his cheeks, Naruto inquired disdainfully,

"Just what the hell are you looking for?" Staring coldly in Naruto's direction, Hayate sharply jerked Nagato's neck, as if he were trying to kill him.

Naruto screamed.

His brother's eyes were purple, and not like the oddly-pleasant lavender of the Hyūga, but a deep, saturated amethyst, with jet black concentric circles rippling from the pupil. "What the hell, Nagato-kun?!"

"I'm sorry-"

"Don't apologize!" Hayate suddenly interjected, his voice as stern as ever. "You have been blessed with the greatest dōjutsu of the age, child. You best put it to good use." With that remark, there was eerie silence for a solid five minutes, allowing Naruto to collect his thoughts and recuperate. Staring out of the Hokage's bay window, which sat directly behind his desk, Naruto admired the dim moon. He was jealous of the way it stood there so peacefully, never having a care in the world.

_"Am I really jealous of the moon?" _

After a long, drawn-out quiet, Hayate slowly spoke,

"Hokage-sama, I believe we should assign this child to a Genin team." The Hokage ignored Hayate's suggestion for a moment, his eyes bearing the look of an old man that had seen and done far too much in his lifetime to be dealing with something of this magnitude.

"I," he began, stopping to listen to Hayate's inconsistent, chronic cough, "do not agree."

"Why not?"

"The child has had no formal schooling, I assume, and does not withhold any knowledge of combat or espionage-related tactics."

"We just have to show him once! His eyes will retain the knowledge!" Hayate retorted quickly, apparently very eager for something he wouldn't have a part in. The Third appeared as though he wished to argue, but didn't have a valid reason as to why he opposed. With a disappointed sigh, and a small smile in Naruto's direction, the Hokage spoke,

"Both Naruto-kun and this child will be appointed as Genin tomorrow morning."

"Yeah, Hokage-jiji!" Naruto chanted, thrusting his fist in that air and jumping out of the comfortable seat, "Trust me, I'll be where you're sitting one day!" The Hokage let out a hearty laugh, and continued,

"However, I order you, Hayate, to train with both of them, every day excluding Saturday's, for reasons of honing their skills."

Hayate let out a low, disappointed sigh and grabbed the bridge of his small nose, his elbow propped on his sword's sheath.

"Yes, Hokage-sama."

"Then you are all dismissed."

As the golden sun arose just over the horizon, Naruto eagerly shook Nagato awake, ruffling his already unkempt crimson hair. Nagato wordlessly sat up and groaned, pressing his balled fists into his eye sockets.

"Nagato-kun! Get up! Our teams are gonna be assigned at noon!" Naruto exclaimed, gripping Nagato's ear and pulling him out of the bed.

"Erm..." the redhead moaned, shaking his head and rising to his feet. "They're assigning Genin teams at dawn?"

"No, stupid. Noon," Naruto calmly answered, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.

"Then why are we-"

"Just get ready."

About an hour later, Naruto still sat feverishly at his apartment's door, waiting for Nagato to get his shoes on. "You are the slowest person in the world, I swear!" Naruto cried, kicking his brother in his bony back.

"I have already apologized," Nagato replied, finally connecting the final two velcro straps on his sandals. As soon as the material met, Naruto pried open the door and ran outside, leaping onto the railing of his floor and kicking off toward the opposite, a clear fifty foot jump. However, Naruto was only able to enjoy the cool wind ruffling his hair for a second before Nagato's voice rang, "Hey! How do you do that?" Naruto turned tail and jumped backward, landing gracefully on the railing yet again. Unfortunately, he had forgotten that Nagato didn't know anything about being a ninja. _Anything_.

"Just focus Chakra in your feet for a second and kick off. Like so." Naruto rocketed off into the air and landed softly on the other building's rooftop, like a feather gliding on the wind and landing on a bench.

"Could you perhaps do that again?" Naruto growled in frustration, bounding backward to his original position for the third time.

"Pay close attention this time!" Naruto snapped angrily, staring into Nagato's eyes just in time to see his pupils dilate until they were about as wide as a thumb nail.

"I am prepared." Envisioning Chakra being forced into his feet, Naruto kicked his right foot back, like a bull preparing to charge, and launched forward, calmly landing on the smooth gravel of the opposite rooftop.

"Now, you may not...huh?" Naruto utter, bewildered as Nagato stood next to him, a small scrape on his knee.

"I did not land as gracefully as you did."

"How did you do it that fast?" By now, Nagato's pupils had returned to normal size.

"I watched you push your Chakra into your feet, and I copied." The answer Naruto received confused him even more. How could he watch him mold Chakra _once,_ and then do it as if he'd done it his whole life? Then again, how could he _watch _him mold Chakra?

About ten minutes later, the boys were just passing Ichiraku, the Academy building well within their sight. Naruto excitedly picked up his pace, kicking off of buildings harder and harder.

"Naruto-kun! Slow down! I can't keep up!" Nagato's voice chimed, though Naruto was barely able to hear it over the wind. He reluctantly slowed down, allowing Nagato to catch up. Looking back at the Academy building eagerly, Naruto noticed something he hadn't before. Normally, doors to the Academy opened at nine o'clock sharp. However, it was about eight o'clock, and the doors were ajar.

"Nagato-kun! Faster!" Naruto shouted above the wind, pushing harder than ever before, much to his brother's dismay.

The two stumbled tiredly into the Academy's "team assignment room," which was basically an empty, extra classroom, and were greeted by a number of jeers, questions, and blatantly unrelated comments.

"Get the hell out, demon boy!"

"Who's this kid?"

"Ino-chan is pretty hot, yeah?" The last person's statement was unsettling, considering it had come from Choji, who, like Kiba and Shikamaru, was seated in the very last row in the back of the classroom. Naruto, followed by Nagato, walked toward his friends, and sat on the edge of the desk.

"I thought you didn't pass the test!" Kiba exclaimed, fist bumping Naruto, followed by everyone else.

"Yeah, but Nagato-kun did this crazy thing and now I'm here."

"Am I correct in assuming that Nagato-kun is this kid?" Shikamaru dryly asked, gesturing toward the redhead at Naruto's right, who stood perfectly still.

"Yeah," Naruto confirmed.

After introductions, there was only enough time for Akamaru to bark a few times before a Jōnin with a spiky purple ponytail and a tan trench coat appeared at the front of the classroom and ordered silence, to which all complied.

"Good! It's nice to know children get when to shut up, huh?" the woman laughed in a high voice, taking a seat on the teacher's desk, removing a piece of paper from her coat's right pocket. "I'm Anko Mitarashi, and I'll be assigning your teams today. Let's try to get this over with quickly. I will say each person's name one, and I will say where you and your teammates will meet after this ceremony...once." Naruto admired the woman's straight-to-business attitude, though he doubted he would be able to keep up with her. "Due to an overabundance of Genin this year, there will now be six-man cells. Five Genin, one Jōnin. Team One will be led by Sarutobi Asuma." Naruto vaguely recognized the name Asuma. From what he could recollect, the man was the Third Hokage's son, and the best close-combat fighter in Konoha. "It will consist of Haruno Sakura, Uchiha Sasuke, Yamanaka Ino, Rock Lee, and Aburame Shino. You will meet at Training Ground Three."

For the next fifteen minutes or so, the woman named Anko rattled off names and places, leaving Naruto in suspense to know his team for what felt like a millennium. Unfortunately, Choji had been placed on Team Three, led by genjutsu mistress Yuhi Kurenai. "And finally, Team Twelve will be led by Hatake Kakashi. It will consist of Uzumaki Nagato, Uzumaki Naruto, Hyūga Hinata, Nara Shikamaru, and Inuzuka Kiba. They will meet atop of the Hokage monument. See ya!" Just like that, the woman disappeared, leaving everyone in the classroom to stampede through the doors, eager to meet their new senseis.

Naruto trailed at the back of the group, with the rest of his group standing behind him.

"Let's wait for Hinata-chan," Shikamaru noted. In all honesty, Naruto had forgotten about the young Hyūga. When the dust settled, and every other student was gone, Naruto and his group looked around and saw a young girl with deep blue hair and a cream-colored jacket sitting at the front of the classroom, in the seat farthest to the left.

"Hey, are you Hyūga Hinata?" Naruto shouted to the other side of the room, to which the girl jumped in her seat and turned around, staring at Naruto with crimson cheeks.

"Y-Y-Yes," she responded in a polite tone, incessantly tapping her index fingers together.

"Well come on! We've got a sensei to meet!" Hinata slowly stood up and walked over the group, standing next to Nagato, whose head also hung in timidity. "Rock and roll!" Naruto shouted as he ran through the open classroom doors, the disgruntled groans and complaints of his teammates just barely audible.

Naruto was the first person to reach the top of the mountain, with Akamaru and Kiba at his heels.

"Ha, I won!" Kiba shouted triumphantly, thrusting his fist in the air.

"What are you talking about? I got here first!" Naruto retorted, angered by the fact that his victory had been stolen from him.

"Do you have anyone here to prove that?" Kiba asked. At that time, the rest of the group was finally arriving at their destination.

"No, but you don't...Akamaru doesn't count."

"Yes he does! Akamaru has thoughts and feelings just like you and me, as well as a memory!" Kiba exclaimed, petting his ninken behind its left ear.

Just then, out of the thin air, the form of a man appeared before them all, startling only Nagato. The man, whom Naruto presumed to be Hatake Kakashi, had spiky silver hair that jutted out to one side, a forehead protector that covered his left eye, and wore a complete Konoha-nin uniform, identical the one Hayate had worn at their first meeting.

"Let's see what we've got here," Kakashi mumbled, examining the group with one eye, "I see a Hyūga, an Uzumaki, a Nara, and an Inuzuka, as well as a ninken. Tell me," Kakashi gestured, poking Nagato in his bony rib cage, "who are you?"  
"Uzumaki Nagato, Kakashi-sensei," Nagato worriedly responded, as if anything he said was a vicious insult.

"And what is special about you, hmm?" Naruto was stunned by how forthright his sensei was with his words.

"Umm...I'm an Uzumaki."

"Yeah, I get that much."  
"And Hokage-sama said I have this thing called 'Rin...ne...gan."

Like the Hokage, Kakashi's mien went from aloof to gravely serious.

"You must be kidding," Naruto's sensei muttered, pushing Nagato's bangs aside, only for Nagato's purple eyes to stare right back into his own. "Well then." Naruto prepared for a word of wisdom, some insane training regimen, or at least a question of his own. What he received instead was a rather startling order. "Well, let's start with some sparring matches, shall we? Naruto-kun and Nagato-kun first."


	3. Enter: Dojo of Doom!

**Author's Note: Me again! Well, guys, here we are: Chapter 3 (I say that as if it's a huge number) Please, tell me what you think of the story, and how I can make it better grammar/structure/prose-wise. Read and review, please! I will always respond if you have a question-it's my promise of a lifetime! Enjoy! **

Naruto watched with what he could only assume was pity as Nagato wobbled in his familiar stance, trying desperately to duplicate Naruto's poise. Quite frankly, it was like watching a fledgling try to fly at only ten minutes old. Of course, Naruto had no problem assuming the traditional "Ju Mae" fighting stance, considering he had been practicing for three consecutive years. He patiently waited for Kakashi's starting signal, hoping to get the match over with, given the fact that everyone knew who was going to win.

"_Gee_," Naruto wondered sarcastically, "_who's going to win? Uzumaki Naruto, future Hokage, or Uzumaki Nagato, who probably weighs about ten pounds? Give or take a few_." Amidst laughing over his one-sided joke, Naruto almost missed Kakashi waving his hand with a flourish,

"Begin."

Without hesitation, Naruto sprinted forward, clenching his fists tightly and abandoning all technique. Nagato let out a light shriek before turning tail and running away, only slightly faltering. Seeing he would require the extra manpower, Naruto lowered his ring and pinky fingers on each hand and thrust his right hand into his left, forming the most basic of seals: Ram. He focused all of his energy into his fingers as he shouted,

"Clone Jutsu!" To say the least, it did not pay off as he had anticipated it to. Instead of a lively copy of his devilishly handsome self, Naruto was running alongside a rumbling, bumbling travesty of a ninja with pale, slimy gray skin and frost white hair.

Backhanding the absurd failure of a jutsu, Naruto scoffed as it dissipated in a dense puff of smoke. He then turned his attention back to his opponent, whom he had trapped at the edge of the Third's cliff face. For added effect, he reached downward and grabbed a handful of the reddish-brown dirt at his feet, lifted it to eye level, and announced,

"Nagato-kun, you're done," while tossing the contents of his fist to the light breeze, forcing the ends of his lips upward into a sort of maniacal grin.

Nagato stumbled backward, landing directly on his back end about a foot away from the edge of the rocky cliff. The young blonde could see genuine fright in his eyes. He took his dear sweet time as he strolled toward the redhead, whistling _Roll Boys, Roll_ as loud as he possibly could. Just as he was within five feet of Nagato, a low, hushed laugh came from his sensei's mouth, muffled by the mask that cover a fair portion of his face.

"Game over." Naruto smirked smugly, turning on his heel gracefully just in time to be struck in the face by a massive ball of dirt and gravel, knocking him out cold.

"Damn, Nagato-kun, you got him good," Kiba's voice called unnecessarily loudly, though it sounded as if his voice was trapped underwater.

"I didn't mean to," Nagato answered weakly, sounding as if he'd been crying (again). With a small amount of strength, Naruto was able to open his eyelids, and stare upward in the pink-orange sky, already able to see the moon.

"I wasn't scolding you, I was congratulating you," Kiba laughed.

Despite a few pairs of hands trying to make him lie down, Naruto utilized what little strength he could muster to sit up, his eyes only half-open.

"Well? How do you feel?" a new voice asked indifferently, one that Naruto was only partially pleased to hear.

"H...Hayate-sensei?" Naruto guessed, balling his hands into fists and shoving them into his eyeballs. Without another word, Naruto felt a slender, masculine hand clamp its bony fingers on his collar and yank him upward, leaving him wobbling on his weak feet.

"If you have enough energy to talk, you have enough energy to train," Hayate coughed, making a grinding noise with the rocks under his feet as he promptly turned around and began to walk away, calling for both Uzumaki's one last time before he sprinted off in the direction of the mountains. Naruto hesitantly followed, with an apprehensive Nagato at his heels.

After fifteen minutes of leaping and diving through the fresh, lively forests of Konoha, Naruto yawned in dreariness, calling out to his second sensei,

"Hayate-sensei! Where're we goin'?" The young Jōnin contemplated the question before grunting quietly and replying,

"The place where I was trained." Although Naruto didn't care much for the man leading him and his half-brother (he had decided Nagato was probably something like a step-sibling) he couldn't help but feel a small sense of intrigue building in his mind, eager to be fulfilled.

"Where's that?" Nagato asked, surprising Naruto with his outspokenness.

"Somewhere you two are not going to like."

After an eternity, Hayate spoke up, "We will arrive in about three minutes."

"It's been three decades!" Naruto shouted above the wind. Nagato kept quiet so as to not further agitate the other members of his cell. Every particle of Naruto's body was screaming,

"Please! Ramen and rest!" Their dreams were unfulfilled, however, as Naruto endlessly dragged on, prevailing in the face of hardship despite how much he wanted to give up.

Within another ten minutes (Naruto could already tell Hayate liked to exaggerate) the group finally emerged from the forest, and onto a snow-covered slope that stretched infinitely for as far as the eye could see, dotted with a myriad of frost-capped mountains. Looking to complain, Naruto froze as he looked at his sensei, who stood smiling and deeply inhaling the air.

"Smells just like peppermint," he groaned before continuing on without warning, much to the half-siblings' displeasure. Hayate led them down the slippery declivity and onward to a particularly high mountain, one whose base and sides appeared to be a bit darker than the others'.

The swordsman only continued to gain speed as they ascended the grand upgrade, leaving Naruto clueless, breathless, and freezing. Turning his eyes to meet his partner's, Naruto gasped as Nagato cupped his palms around a small, inconsistent flame that continued to sputter in and out of existence.

"Gimme some!" he exclaimed, thrusting his palms out and holding them over Nagato's.

"I will give you what I can," Nagato replied feebly. Although Naruto was lucky and appreciative to have such a useful half-brother, how Nagato was able to create fire in his hands completely escaped him.

Finally, after another lifetime, Hayate took one final upward bound toward the summit, followed by his two students. There, he combat rolled so as to not hurt himself, stood up, and stared longingly at a large wooden cabin, outside of which were many, many wooden posts, training dummies, and, oddly enough, thick hickory trees. "How are trees surviving in this environment?" Nagato observed, scratching his head and accidentally singing a few of his hairs.

"They're protected by the Chakra of the monks that once inhabited these mountains. During the First Great Shinobi World War, the Kaathians, worshipers of the Old Swordsmen, Cyro, were mercilessly obliterated by Uchiha Madara and his forces," Hayate formally replied with a hint of anger, balling his right hand into a fist.

"Why?" Naruto asked. After all, he was always one for a good story.

"Madara and his forces were searching for a legendary weapon, the Kazan Barude, or volcano blade, a sword told of in myth that is said to hold an ancient power wielded by the nameless Sinner." Naruto was able to vaguely recall the name from trying to cheat during the Genin exam.

"Did he end up getting it?" Hayate turned and glared at Naruto, belittling him further.

"Yes, totally," he replied sarcastically, "because the blade is completely real and not just a myth."

The young Jōnin shook his head exasperatedly with an annoyed sigh, turning back and ordering, "Follow me." Naruto, despite holding a superfluous amount of enmity for his new teacher, obeyed his instruction without hesitation, with Nagato at his heels. Their sensei led them to the steps at the base of the cabin, where he promptly removed his shoes out of respect for his old training ground. The siblings, unfamiliar with the gesture, simply kept walking, setting their moist, snow-caked sandals onto the thick lumber planks. Before they could even take another step, Naruto was left breathless as Hayate slammed the butt end of his blade into his chest while using his foot to kick Nagato back into the powdery snow.

"What was that for?!" Nagato surprisingly called, hesitantly sitting up and coughing up a ball of phlegm.

"Have some respect, child!" Hayate barked, clicking his tongue as he turned around. He continued to gently press his palms together and deeply bow until his head was nearly touching his knees. Regaining his habitual, abnormally straightened posture, Hayate motioned for the two boys to follow them with his hand. Fortunately, Naruto remembered to remove his sandals, even though he had only been told seconds before. Taking decisive, careful steps forward, he bounded into the cabin as he met the threshold of the already open door, which looked to be about falling off its dilapidated, rusted hinges.

The interior of the small settlement was not what Naruto or Nagato had expected. Instead of plush, relaxing furniture or a fireplace, at least, what the siblings found was even more training equipment and a squared-off section of water that seemed extremely glossy, given the minuscule amount of light which shone upon it. Speaking of the lighting, Naruto was partially amazed when he looked upward and saw that the main room was not lit by lightbulbs or sunlight (Hell, how could it be?) but two golden, perfectly circular discs, each giving off the heat and light of a miniature sun.

"I like it," Naruto commented with a yawn, his body growing comfortable with the energy-sapping heat. Unfortunately, his comfortability was fairly short-lived as Hayate motioned for his newfangled students to sit in front of the small, sparkly pond. Practically falling down, Naruto immediately noticed he'd done something wrong when Hayate glared at him and Nagato before shooting a glance toward the floor, trying to direct their attention to his legs. He was sitting discomfortingly on his knees.

Naruto hesitantly followed, occasionally wobbling and wiggling in a fruitless attempt to habituate to the avant-garde sedentary manner. The decaying, frost-wedged wood pressed into his skin, and he could already feel a bead of sweat forming on his brow.

"Before we get into any training, we must review some ground rules." Naruto silently laughed at Hayate's usage of "review." "Upon entry into the dojo, you are to remove your footwear, as well as any electronic devices, if you are to carry any. Second, you will sit reverently on your knees, if you are to sit. Third, you will only stop training if I explicitly tell you you can. Am I understood?"

"Yeah," Naruto mumbled, accidentally being stuck with a splinter as he ran his thumb along the floor.

"I can't hear you," Hayate announced, looking the boys directly in their eyes.

"Yes!" Naruto shouted, rolling his eyes in his sensei's direction and looking at Nagato as if to say, "Can you believe this?" Hayate rose to his feet ever so slowly and strolled behind Naruto, leaning downward and yelling into his ear,

"SIR...YES...SIR! Say it with me, child!" Although his words were directed toward Naruto, Nagato decided to join in, seeing it fit to essentially kiss up to his new leader.

"Sir, yes-"

"I was not talking to you!" the young Jōnin interjected, seeming to break his chronic cough simply to yell at them. Naruto rose to his feet and screamed,

"SIR, YES, SIR!" locking eyes with Hayate, who almost immediately sighed in relief.

"At least you can take directions fairly well," he noted, motioning for them to stand up. "Now, onto some more pressing matters." Their sensei pointed across the room, to a white sliding door, and announced, "Now, this is your home. That room over there houses your beds. After a day of hard work, you both are to come in here and make sure all filthiness is removed. I don't want to see even a speck of dust on this floor when we conclude each day. You are dismissed for the night."

Naruto stood silently with his mouth wide open in the shape of an O, astounded by the extremity of the changes Hayate was imposing on them at such a rapid pace.

"But what about all my stuff!?"

"I'll send for your items. Now, please, go away," Hayate calmly replied, turning majestically on his heel and walking to a door directly adjacent to the one at which he had pointed, a door marked with the kanji for master. When Naruto opened his mouth to contest, he instantly felt a warm, pale palm slam over his mouth.

"Can't you see it's futile?" Nagato agitatedly inquired, furrowing his brow. Unable to contemplate a proper response, Naruto bit the skin of Nagato's fingers, forcing him to retract his aching palm. "That wasn't nice."

"Neither is your face!" Naruto proclaimed, instantly regretting the embodiment of stupidity that had just rolled off his tongue. Nagato was able to hold in his laughter for approximately five seconds before exploding with laughter, followed by Naruto, who too chortled at his own doltishness.

The two eventually replaced their laughter with yawns and set out for the bedrooms, which were a bit under-equipped for the dojo's location. The room consisted of rows upon rows of sleeping bags, each with a single pillow. In the very back of the room, about sixty feet ahead of them, there was what appeared to be a shower room. Thankfully, three more of the golden discs that illuminated the main room were present within the corridor, spreading a little too much heat around. The two practically collapsed into the nearest pair of beds, content with the fact that the beds' insides were not lined with fur, as most standard-issue Ninja sleeping bags were. Before they both passed out, Naruto turned so that he faced Nagato and sighed,

"Nagato-kun, I don't know if making Genin was such a good thing after all." The redhead pondered the statement for a second before mumbling,

"I think I'd rather still be a vagabond." Naruto coughed lightly before laughing, a short, throaty laugh, and descending into the comfortable, welcoming clutches of sleep.


	4. Training Day

A shrill, stentorian banging called the half-brothers back into reality.

"Get up, make your bed, and get out!" Hayate called, hitting what looked to be a trash can lid with a baton. Naruto was just able to make out his form with blurry eyesight. He and Nagato crawled out of bed, zipped up the sides of their sleeping bags, and centered the pillow before standing up straight and facing their sensei with exhaustion-ridden faces. Although the room was windowless, Naruto could clearly see the time on Hayate's analog timepiece: 4:30.

"You're making us get up at, like-"

"I'm sorry, who are you talking to?" Hayate interrupted, readjusting his sheath while gazing into space. The blonde scoffed quietly,

"Sir, why are we getting up so early...sir?" His sensei continued as if nothing had happened.

"For reasons of training, of course. Now, go outside and eat your breakfast. Remember to sit before the Kamimizu."

The two walked outside without another word, and were utterly shocked to see a rather large, diversified breakfast laid out for each of them at the foot of the squared-off water. They both heavily salivated as they slid on their knees directly into the plates. Naruto counted two whole potatoes, a four egg omelette with onions and peppers, and a large, thin-cut slab of steak.

"Woah, this is awesome!" they chanted in unison, searching for utensils. Unfortunately, they were both too hungry to feel Hayate practically breathing down their necks.

"You will eat with at least a shred of respect," he said as he threw forks and knives into their steaks with what Naruto thought to be unnecessary velocity.

Naruto didn't waste a second in grabbing his utensils and digging into the succulent breakfast, content with the overwhelming bursts of flavor.

"Sir, did you make this, sir?" Nagato quietly asked, already half-way through his omelette.

"I did, indeed," Hayate replied in a monotone voice, sitting at the other side of the Kamimizu (Naruto believed that was what he'd called it) and closing his eyes.

Shoving one last, delicious bite of potato into his mouth, Naruto exhaled happily, his stomach filled to the absolute brink.

"Oh boy, I am stuffed," he laughed, patting his stomach through his orange jacket.

"Follow me," Hayate ordered. Coughing yet again, the young Jonin arose and casually began to walk out the front door of the dojo, and into the subzero temperatures of the mountaintop. Naruto too rose to his feet, sighing as he understood the futility in fighting. Nagato followed apprehensively, wondering if they were about to be forced to exercise in such extreme conditions..

They were led into the middle of the outside courtyard, where Hayate knelt down in the snow, digging his kneecaps into the ground until the white, slushy powder reached his thighs. The siblings followed accordingly, much to their dismay. "Now, it's time to begin your training, but we must address a few matters beforehand."

"Sir, for Jashin's sake, make it snappy, sir," Naruto declared, rubbing his palms together ferociously. Almost as soon as the words had left his mouth, he rued them.

"Naruto-kun, am I correct in assuming that I am your teacher?"

"Sir, yes, sir."

"Why, thank you very much! Can I be in charge for a while?"

"Sir, yes, sir!" Naruto didn't like the way he had to address his sensei, though he thanked whatever deity that had granted him to ability to remember how to do so.  
"Good, now for an important question." Nagato spoke excitedly,

"Sir, what is it, sir?"

"Do either of you truly wish to follow this regimen?"

Naruto laughed a little, wondering if his sensei had, indeed, been serious.

"Sir, I guess, sir," he answered indecisively, wondering if there was a correct answer.

"I will not stand for 'I guess.' If you two desire my tutelage, I require your full, unflagging loyalty. You must obey my commands without question, even if it means death," Hayate firmly declared, betraying his cold and emotionless mien.

"Sir, we don't 'desire' your tutelage, we were forced into it, sir!" Naruto chanted. Hayate nodded, apparently taking Naruto's answer as a no, and turned to Nagato expecting him to politely agree. Instead, the redhead shyly inquired,

"Sir, will I benefit more from your training, or Kakashi-sensei's training, sir?" For the first time since Naruto had met him, the ends of Hayate's thin lips faintly curved upward.

"That depends on you entirely. Train with me, and you will become men of iron, men without fear. You will be as silent as the night, and as deadly as the creatures it hides." Hayate's pupils flickered for a second, as if he were remembering the time when he had been given the exact same speech. "Above all, you will be men of chivalry and gallantry. People will honor, respect, and fear you." Naruto hadn't noticed it himself, but he had been so closely listening to Hayate, clinging to his every word, that he hadn't noticed his mouth hanging open. His sensei noticed this and said with a grin, "I'll take that as a yes?"

Naruto held his breath for a solid five seconds. The choice was right there before him, and he was completely indecisive. He wanted to run back home, curl up in bed, and sleep until noon; he also wanted to be Hokage, and even he knew that was no easy feat.

"Uhh..." he groaned, looking toward his half-brother, who nodded furtively, as if to say _Please don't leave me alone!_ "Sir, yes, sir!" Hayate slowly rose to his feet and cracked his neck, readjusting his sheath before saying,

"Well, let's get started then, shall we?"

The group stood some hundred and fifty feet away from the dojo, seated at the lip of an ice-caked precipice. Fortunately, the sun had somewhat risen by then, so falling didn't feel to be a threat. Naruto couldn't exactly tell what exercise they were about to conduct, but shimmying along the edge of a cliff seemed a bit extreme for their first day.

"Before we begin with physical exercise, each day, we shall prepare our bodies for such tasks in a manner that is efficient, express, and simple. For years, the Kaathian monks utilized the ancient art of _Kindendo,_ which, in more simplified terms, is to kindle the seven key _kin_, or major Chakra points, by donating more Chakra than what is necessary to them." Naruto readjusted his knees, which were now soggy and heavy, attempting to soak in all of the new information (not something he was particularly good at) Hayate continued on, "When at rest, your body normally uses about six percent of your Chakra. When exercising, about thirteen percent. Twenty-two percent is in usage when you are on a mission, or in combat. However," he began, lifting his sleeve and revealing his right arm, which was not _very_ muscular, but extremely defined, "by kindling your Chakra points, you not only triple your Chakra output, but you may also expedite the process of any goals in training; weight loss, muscle gain, and conditioning, for some." Pinching himself, Naruto tried his hardest to stay awake, but four thirty was _way_ out of his time zone.

Rising to his feet, Hayate commanded his students to do the same and then faced outward, staring at the barely visible horizon. "Now, do not rush these actions, for it might kill you." Naruto could easily hear his half-brother gulp. "Envision a calm, blue stream, with water as smooth as velvet." Naruto closed his eyes as he painted the picture in his mind.

"_Blue stream. Nice, calm blue stream with icy smooth water, with four busty girls washing—WAIT! NO!"_ It took quite a few tries, but Naruto was finally able to imagine the stream, minus any naked women, just as Hayate started again,

"Now, imagine that stream flowing to your fingertips." The two did so, with only minimal setbacks. "Now look at your fingers." Naruto did so, and was confused, to say the least. Nothing was any different. Nagato, however, exclaimed in fear. Holding his palm forward, his fingertips were a bright teal. Hayate raised his eyebrows, clearly impressed with Nagato's actions. Naruto concentrated as hard as he possibly could, furrowing his brow in frustration as he imagined a deluge of cyan energy coursing through his circulatory system.

"Oh," Hayate blurted out, "Naruto-kun, imagine something more like a volcano. Perhaps a bourn of flame-colored magma."

"_Hayate-sensei is real good at description,"_ Naruto thought with a determined countenance, clenching his fists until his knuckles lost color and visualizing lava running through his bloodstream. Lifting his palms, he cracked a small smile as he saw a rather faint red glow emanating from underneath his dirty fingernails.

"Good, now, both of you: place your fingers on the base of your spine, and push." As he spoke, Hayate lifted the back of his shirt and demonstrated the action, softly pressing his back until it glowed, illuminating his blood vessels. The sight brought Naruto out of his state of dreariness. He excitedly copied, exposing his stomach as he lifted his shirt and forcing his hand against his back. "If you press too softly, you will not be able to put forth any energy. Too strong, and you'll be paralyzed from the waist down." Again, Nagato gulped loudly, unsure of his skills.

"Sir, I think I've got it, sir!" Naruto chanted with confidence, wearing a smug smirk. Hayate calmly sighed before strutting behind his student and coughing out,

"I'm fairly surprised you aren't dead." Naruto jumped in fright, imagining the river of lava flowing _away_ from his hand. "Or, at least foaming at the mouth."

"Sir, I can't help it, sir!" he muttered, still trying to suppress his power output.

"No, it's quite alright. If your body can handle the power, what's the point in holding back, hmm?" Naruto considered the thought for a moment before exhaling and again redirecting the flow of his Chakra to his palms. Surprisingly, he felt quite a lot more..._revitalized._ "Now, remember," Hayate began, "this is your second most important Chakra point, after Crown Chakra, which I'll explain later. The point you're pressing on right now is the location of your Root Chakra, which represents stability, survival, vigor, and vitality."

"Sir, it's just those two, right?" Naruto asked tentatively, doing his best to not kill himself, though the burst of energy seemed to raise his body temperature, and he needed that above everything else.

"Oh, not even close. Now, press your fingers just below your navel."

Naruto sighed. It was going to be a long day.

The pain in Naruto's skull gave him the impression that his brain was being kneaded into assorted shapes. A loud groan escaped his lips as he pressed his palms against his ears.

"What did I say about being extra careful with Crown Chakra, Nagato-kun?" Hayate sighed, as if it were a mere inconvenience for his student to be writhing in pain on the ground.

"Sir, you said to be extremely careful, as any overdose of Chakra in the brain could cause aneurysms, sir."

"But I did!" Naruto screamed, digging his feet into the snow. Hayate sighed. He continued to kneel and hold his straightened palm in front of his face, focusing his Chakra until a large cloud of cobalt surrounded his hand. Without warning, he slammed his palm into Naruto's stomach, sending his body into a near catatonic state. Naruto felt like he was burning to death, but he was freezing. Oddly enough, the pain in his skull subsided rather quickly. After a minute or two, he rose to his feet, wobbling as if he were intoxicated.  
"Now," Hayate said slowly, coughing lightly at the end of his sentence, "let's review, shall we? Root." Naruto wearily forced his Chakra into his fingers and softly pressed them against the small of his back, at the base of his spine. "Good. Sacral." He pressed his fingers directly below his belly button, and felt a small warmth inside his stomach, like he was content with being treated like an infantry in ANBU. "Solar Plexus." Naruto just above punched himself four inches above his navel. "Do the rest." In three quick movements, Naruto poked the center of his chest, representing the Heart Chakra, the top of his head, Crown Chakra, and the middle of his throat, which was a Chakra in and of itself. "You're missing one!" Hayate shouted, seemingly to Naruto. The blonde risked a quick glance at his brother, who had his digits pressed softly against his temple. He repeated the action. Unsurprisingly, Hayate was not pleased.

"Get on your face and give me twenty-five push-ups, Naruto-kun," he spat, breaking his usual stoic manner. The Genin scoffed as he dropped to his knees, pressed his bare palms into frosty powder, and kicked his legs out, his elbows jutting out at a forty-five degree angle. "I don't have a clue as to what the hell you think you're doing, but you are definitely not doing a push-up," Hayate growled, pressing his foot into Naruto's spine until it felt as stiff and straight as a board. "Now, do a push-up." With a heavy exhale, Naruto lowered himself until his arms pained him, at which point he pushed right back up. Of course, Hayate was vexed. He lay on the ground and placed an overturned fist under Naruto's chest. "Touch my hand before you push back up."

Needless to say, the rule of touching his sensei's fist made Naruto's meager amount of push-ups feel like an hour of hard physical labor, which definitely did not help his body prepare for their next object of activity. "Now, since your bodies are now primed and prepared to learn, let us begin with simple Taijutsu."

Nagato was the first to collapse, needing a few seconds to recuperate. "By the Hokage," Hayate sighed, holding Nagato lazily in a half-nelson, "do you two honestly expect to get anywhere with Ju Mae?"

"Sir, what's wrong with Ju Mae, sir?" Naruto called, thankful that he wasn't the one being trapped in a hold, especially coming from Hayate.

"That travesty of a martial art is unnecessarily large and horribly telegraphed." Suddenly, he cried out in exasperation. "By Jashin, what did they teach you at the Academy?" he roared, astounded by their lack of knowledge in the realm of combat. Quite honestly, Naruto hadn't paid any attention to ninety percent of the lessons in the Academy, so he couldn't tell his sensei if he'd tried. "Fine," the swordsman mumbled, "I guess I have to do _that_ too."

Releasing Nagato and stepping back until he was about six inches away from a rather precipitous cliff coated with a thick layer of ice, Hayate explained, "I want you two to forget everything you know about Taijutsu, because it's all wrong. Taijutsu is not just a tool used for setting up Ninjutsu; it is an art in and of itself. In fact, Ninjutsu should be used sparingly." He took up a slow pace as he spoke, circling the boys who now stood side-by-side. "When confronting a combatant, your arms and legs are the most dangerous weapons you have; only if properly utilized, of course." He then began to flail his arms violently, as if he were some type of rampaging ceiling fan. "You are a complete and utter fool if you try to wave your arms and try to score a direct hit. As I was taught, hand-to-hand combat should be up close, personal, and uncomfortable for your opponent. Now, get up, and let's start practicing."

Naruto's entire body trembled as he finally sat down inside the dojo, his entire body sweaty, his muscles screaming in agony, and his undershirt drenched. Taijutsu training had _not_ gone as planned. Naruto had gone in with the mindset of, "_I'm gonna learn a bunch of techniques, then I'm gonna kick ass!_" Of course, he could not have been more wrong. "_Who the hell does chin-up burpee combos at thirteen? Lunatics, that's who."_

Nagato stood at his side, in a similar physical condition, save the few scrapes and gashes that lined his collarbone and cheeks.

"Now, after you two eat, you are to report to Kakashi-senpai in Training Ground Three. Is that understood?"

"Sir, yes, sir!" the boys mumbled.

"I can't hear you! Sound off like you've got a pair!"

"Sir, yes, sir!" they chanted back in a much louder, more high-pitched tone.

"Good." Hayate weaved a small number of hand seals before slamming his palms together and making a small plate of two ham and cheese sandwiches as well as an two apples and a small mound of baby carrots. The boys dug in without a second thought.

As soon as Naruto sunk his teeth into the first sandwich, an ethereal sensation of relief and calm washed over his body.

"_Man,"_ he thought, "_I was _really _hungry, wasn't I?_" Naruto turned his attention to Nagato, who was already halfway through his first sandwich, and shook his head with a smile, happy to see his half-brother eating a steady diet.

After eating, digesting, and throwing a minor fit, Naruto stepped outside of the dojo, with Nagato at his heels. His half-brother instantly formed a small sphere of flame Chakra in his palms and held it close to his chest, breathing on it calmly and slowly as the duo took off from the direction in which they'd come and into the raging blizzard that always plagued the land.

When the duo arrived coughing and panting at Training Ground Three, they were, to say the least, content with the climate. The air was warm and humid, which oddly helped Naruto's dry-as-a-desert throat. All around him, trees dotted the land, and for the first time in his life, he was ecstatic to see leftover dew on mid-summer experience was short-lived, however, as Hinata came walking them, softly calling for them to follow her. While she stammered and stumbled in her speech, Naruto looked at her as if he'd never seen her before. Her short navy hair was oddly appealing, and complemented her pencil-thin eyebrows, which matched her roots. In a weird, semi-creepy fashion, Naruto thought she was weird...in a good way. As his teammates departed, it didn't take him long to pull his mind out of the gutter.

Hinata's leadership found the group lost, in the middle of the forest area of the Training Ground.

"Erm...I'm sorry! I...erm...believe Kakashi-sensei is over this way." She pointed eastward, just below the high noon sun. Naruto's eyes tracked her movement, watching her hips turn as she walked, and her hair get ruffled by the wind, though she didn't seem to care; he appreciated the almost unseen natural aura this girl had. He and Nagato, whose pure mind kept him from having his eyes glued on his teammate, mindlessly followed, leading them ever-farther away from their starting point. Thankfully, Kakashi, in all of his sly, handsome glory, along with Kiba and Shikamaru (whose overabundant joy shone clearly on their faces...not), appeared in a tree fifteen steps in front of them after about two/three minutes, standing atop a rather thin branch.

"Thank the Sage, where have you been?" Kiba exploded upon sight of them, disturbing a previously sleeping Akamaru.

"Now, now, quiet down, Kiba-kun," Kakashi laughed, his nose glued to a book with a rather defined circe-backslash symbol on the front cover, accompanied by a pair of what appeared to be hands.

"Please, Kakashi-sensei," Nagato interjected, "may we have ten minute break, or...something like that?" He sounded exasperated, exhausted, enervated...just about everything except _energetic._

"Oh, but I don't think Naruto-kun will want to wait for this one." Naruto's ears perked up as he spoke,

"Why? What are we doing today?" Kakashi did not even look at Naruto as he turned the page of his book and began to walk down the tree's trunk. As his feet hit the solid, fertile dirt, he looked around, noting all of their shocked expressions, and laughed. "Trust me. It'll be fine."


End file.
